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Nick Foles addressed the media on Monday for the first time since suffering a season-ending fractured collarbone in Week 9 against the Houston Texans. Foles revealed that he still isn't fully healed yet, but he does expect to recover and return as the Eagles starting quarterback in 2015.
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"I expect to be back here. I expect to be the quarterback," Foles said.
There's a good chance the soon to be 26-year old is right. Despite his 2014 struggles, the Eagles aren't expected to have many obvious options when it comes to upgrading the quarterback position. Sticking with Foles could very well be the team's best option, though partly due to a lack of alternatives.
Foles is currently scheduled to play out the final year of his rookie contract in 2015. Foles gave a "no comment" when asked if there were talks about a contract extension in the works now that Foles is eligible to be extended.
It goes without saying that Philadelphia needs better play from the quarterback spot next season should they hope to be a legitimate contender. Foles did a great job of avoiding turnovers in 2013 (at an unsustainable pace), but he led all quarterbacks in turnovers prior to being injured during the 2014 season.
"I'll come back better than I ever have been," Foles stated.
Despite Foles' assurance, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and chairman Jeffrey Lurie have been fairly noncommital regarding the former third round pick. Kelly gave an assessment of Foles during his final press conference of the season.
"I think Nick just needs to continue to work," said Kelly. "The one thing I do not fault Nick is a work ethic. He’s been outstanding in that. I watched how he attacked his rehabilitation in terms of his shoulder injury and what he did every day. He’s been outstanding from that standpoint. And I think he’s continuing to grow as a quarterback. I think that’s part of the maturation process in this league. Very rarely do you come in early and just light it up. You almost need to kind of do something and make that mistake and learn from that mistake and I think that’s one thing I admire about Nick is he processes things well and when he does make a mistake, very rarely does he make that same mistake twice. I think he just needs to continue on the trajectory that he’s headed on right now."